Repeal of Affordable Care Act could be a death sentence for thousands

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Jonathan Gruber and Benjamin Sommers clearly show the harm that would result from repeal of the Affordable Care Act (Opinion, Dec. 9). But their conclusion — that loss of insurance because of repeal would have devastating consequences for millions of American adults and children — requires greater precision.

These costs would include health impacts, both physical and emotional, as well as financial costs for people who can least afford them. In addition, repeal would cause many unnecessary deaths. This devastating result was demonstrated by a Harvard Medical School and Cambridge Health Alliance study, released in 2009, which estimated that lack of health insurance led to nearly 45,000 unnecessary deaths. The study controlled for other risk factors and showed that having no insurance can be fatal.